Not a normal Tuesday evening
by meowingnow
Summary: It was a normal Tuesday, when Rick and Kate receive an unexpected visitor.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I wish my name was Andrew Marlowe, so I could own Castle, instead I'm just a teenager messing with his characters.**

It was Tuesday, which meant family dinner at the Castle household, well only the parents and the kids, grandparents were saved for Saturdays. So there was Katherine Castle watching out her son as he made an effort to lay the table, of course at six he already thought that he could deal with everything the world threw at him. Well the age and his father's imagination, Ok, maybe his father played a huge role in his personality; that's what you get when your dad is a nine-year-old on a sugar rush. So Roy was placing every fork as if it was about to explode. Thank God Alexis was there to give her hand when it was needed. As she looked at her son, she couldn't help but finding everything his and hers on him, like her hazel green eyes, his charming smile, his black hair and of course the big heart and the sense of justice he got from his mother. Also, he was as responsible as his big sister. He always did what he was told, always looking up to his big sister Lexis. But, he also took care of his younger sister; from day one when they introduced Johanna Martha Castle to the world he was trying to be the best big brother for his little sister. So, she couldn't do anything but marvel at the six-year-old her husband and her had welcome to the world. Roy Alexander Castle was the perfect son. When he was finished with the table, he looked at her with her same eyes, and pouting his lips asked:

"Mommy, can I go watch TV with Lex?"

"But who's gonna help me with the cookies?" She asked as she saw his eyes wide with excitement. Yeap, he's his father son.

"Cookies? Well, in that case I will help you, but can I lick the spoon?" He asked as his mother took out the dough to make the cookies.

"Of course you can monkey, now go to the bathroom and clean your hands" And he ran to the bathroom just as he was told.

Alexis looked at Kate and went to the kitchen. Alexis had been thrilled when they announced her first pregnancy, and over the moon when they found out their second child was a baby girl. She had bounded with her step-mother over the years, with a lot of heart talk, boy talk and yes arguing about random things. But Kate had been always there for Alexis, not just for her father, she had been the one who watched her grow into the woman she was now, she had been there when she moved in with Pi, even though that didn't end well, she was there when she had that pregnancy alert, when she came home crying because she broke up with Tyler, when she got mad at her mother, when she moved out of the loft, even when Meredith forgot about her on her birthday. That was the reason why she called her mom after all, because Meredith may be her mother, but Kate was her mom. Kate had been surprised when she called her mom for the first time, that night when she was there for her with pregnancy test in hand, after all, she didn't marry Castle she married him and his family just as he married hers. So Alexis was the first one to find out she was thinking of legally adopting her, before that her six and a half years ago they both signed the paper that named Alexis her daughter and she couldn't be more proud of her. That was what they were celebrating today.

"So, what's his name?" Kate asked her out of the blue.

"What?" She replied astonished

"The guy you're dating, I'm a detective, I know these things"

"His name is Jacob and we met at campus, he got lost and I showed him around, when we got to his class, he handed me a paper with his number and said: Here, call me if you want a tour of the best place to eat, and then he was gone. I swear he knew I was going to call him because when I did, he just said: Hey, at what time do I pick you up? And that was it."  
>"How long have this being going on?"<p>

"Like for about a month? I wanted to tell you mom, but I couldn't find the right time, either we're busy or we have the kids and dad around" She said trying to excuse herself.

"Yeah, we've been pretty busy here. I'll tell you what, this Saturday will go shopping, and leave the kids with your dad and go"

"You want to leave dad with two kids all by himself?" She asked raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, right, we'll leave them at my dad's and make yours write the chapter he needs to get done" she said rolling her eyes.

Suddenly they heard a high-pitched scream followed by laughter and footsteps loudly resounding through the loft. Then a really excited and naked Johanna made her way down the stairs laughing at his dad running after her with a bubbly beard on his face. The four-year-old looked at her mother and ran through the kitchen looking back at her father holding the towel. She was just as her mother, her face resembled her mother in ways that she even marveled, and also she had the same smile as her grandma Johanna who she never met. But being a Castle, she had the melodramatics of her grandma Martha and the excitement and imagination of his father. Her blue eyes were the same as her dad's and she did the same thing to her brother that her father did to her mother: drive him crazy, which was usually followed by a really annoyed Roy rolling his eyes just like his mother did. But she had the same meaning of family as her grandpa Jim, always looking after them, just as her grandpa did. They were both a perfect mix of Beckett and Castle.

"Rick, what is Jo doing running around naked?" Kate asked her husband as he came to a stop.

"She was taking a bath, when Roy showed up to clean his hands; Jo asked him what he was doing so he told her that you were going to make cookies. Jo literally jumped out of the bath tub and left me there, being beared by your son who was buying her time"

"Beard? Really? And of course he's my son when he gets in trouble and yours when he behaves correctly. Ok give me that towel you go and clean your face while I chase Jo down" She said taking the towel from his husband's grasp.

"But mom, we were going to make cookies" Her son whined.

"Lex will help you right?" She asked her daughter

"Yeah, of course, c'mon little man let's get this started" She said as she helped her brother sit on the counter.

Alexis and Roy were watching the cookies in the oven, the latter drooling, when they heard the door bell. Knowing their parents were busy with Jo, Roy looked at Alexis and went to the front door, he waited as his sister made her way and then opened the door.

The woman, who was waiting outside, was a brunette with hazel green eyes and a familiar smile. Alexis, who only had seen Johanna on photos was shocked when she realized who was standing at their front door.

"Hi, I think I got the wrong number, I'm looking for Katherine Beckett, do you know where I can find her?" She asked with the same smile as Jo's.

"No, you got the right number, Roy go and call dad. " She ordered her brother; he nodded with his head and went off to look for his father.

"So she lives here?" Johanna asked.

"Yes, she does… Oh, sorry I didn't introduce myself, I'm Alexis" She said offering her step-grandmother her hand.

"Hi, I'm Johanna Beckett" She said shaking her hand.

At that moment they heard the voice they both wanted to hear:  
>"Johanna Martha Castle come here now and clean this mess" Kate ordered her daughter.<p>

"Wait, Castle? That means that you must be Richard Castle's daughter, so Katie married-

"Who's at the door?" Her father asked through the living room.

In that moment Richard Castle saw the last person he expected to see at his door a Tuesday evening: Johanna Beckett, his wife's long-lost mother.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:**** This was really hard to write, I will see the reviews and change the chapter so it will more fitting, I'm sorry for the mistakes English is not my native language.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Castle.**

"_Wait, Castle? That means that you must be Richard Castle's daughter, so Katie married-"_

_ "Who's at the door?" Her father asked through the living room._

_In that moment Richard Castle saw the last person he expected to see at his door a Tuesday evening: Johanna Beckett, his wife's long-lost mother._

Castle had only seen Johanna Beckett in pictures, the ones Kate showed them when she told Roy and Jo about their grandma so they couldn't forget her. But she was in their lives, whether it was Jo smiling or Roy trying to make everything as fair as possible or even in his wife and her habit of fighting for everyone's justice. But he NEVER in his life thought that the same person who had shaped his family so much would be standing there. He stared at her; she had her eyes, Jo's smile, Kate's nose and of course Kate's and Roy's eyes. She was 100% Johanna Beckett. He had been thinking about the words that he could say to her since he had that dream in which he met her but didn't say a word, but being Richard Castle the words that came out of his mouth were:

"Holy shit, you are HER. Alexis pinch me, I must be dreaming" He said without breaking eye contact with the woman outside his door. She did and he cringed.

"No, I'm not dreaming, neither I'm in a parallel universe this time so that must mean that you are real" He said reasoning with his crazy theories in his head.

"You are Richard Castle?" She asked as she extended her hand, "I'm Johanna Beckett, Katie's mother" She said shaking his hand.

"I think you already know my name…Alexis go and look for your mother" He said, inviting Johanna in.

Once inside, they came face to face with an overly excited Jo.

"MOMMY! LOOK WHO I FINDED: GRANDMA JOHANNA" The little girl screamed out of her lungs, her mother replied from the master bedroom.

"Jo, I told you not to joke about it, that's impossible even with your father's childish imagination-" She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was standing beside her husband.

"Who are you? Is this a joke? Because if it is, Rick you are sleeping at your mother's" She said looking at her husband and then back to the other woman in front of her.

"No, Katie this isn't a joke, I'm real and I'm alive." She said stepping closer to her daughter.

"The hell you're real, stay away from me and my family. You may sound like her and look like her but you aren't her. Because my mother died, she's been dead for over 22 years. YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER! SHE'S DEAD, SHE'S FUCKING DEAD!" She screamed at the woman in front of her.

Jo, who had never seen her mother screamed like that, started to cry. Castle saw his daughter cry and tried to get to her, but she refused to go to him, instead she went to her room and shut her door. Alexis took Roy's hand and went to get her sister. She closed the door behind them letting her parents deal with the new information.

In the living room, Rick was standing next to Johanna Beckett watching his wife react to the news. Kate was red from anger, she was still refusing to believe that her mother, the person who she dedicated her life to, was alive, the reason she left her studies in Stanford was ruined. Everything she had done in her life to get closure to her mother wasn't significant anymore. All the night she had pulled off to solve her mother's murder was now a waste of time, even the fact that Bracken was rotting in jail was worthless to her. She looked at her mother, REALLY looked at her and found all of the features she knew so well, but now she had wrinkles, her hair wasn't as brown as she remembered, her eyes weren't so bright anymore. She understood then that as every person in the world, time had caught up with her; she was no longer frozen in time like she was in her memory or in the photos. Johanna Beckett was alive and in her living room, waiting for her to do something.

"You're supposed to be dead; you can't be here right now. Because if you are, then everything I have achieved in life was for NOTHING! I wasted my time at the Police Academy; I wasted my money in moving back, I spent three fucking years trying to sober dad up because he couldn't take it, he couldn't accept that you had left us. The only thing that was worth it was meeting Castle and even that was based on lies, because if you wouldn't have died I would never read his book or became a cop anyways. You can't be real because if you are then, my family is a lie. MY LIFE IS A FUCKING LIE!" She screamed with tears in her eyes. Her mother didn't say a word; it was her husband who dared to break the silence.

"Kate, why don't you go out with Alexis to clear your head and then come back?" He suggested knowing perfectly what she needed: the comfort and the reassurance of her eldest daughter.

She consider the idea, she just wanted to be anywhere but there.

"Ok, I'll call Alexis and leave the kids at my dad's for the night" She said, getting her phone out of the pocket.

"Kate, I'll call him, you go get the kids and Alexis. Want to take my car?"He offered her his Ferrari, which he still didn't do usually.

"No, I'll take mine" She said going upstairs leaving a really stunned Johanna on the living room.

"Johanna, why don't you come with me to my office?" He said smiling at her, that charming smile that he used with the people so rarely.

She nodded and they went to his office. The office was the only place of the loft without framed photos; Kate had said that it was because he usually was distracted with anything so the office was lacking the family environment. Over the shelves, there were his novels, the Derrick Storm series and his favorite: The Nikki Heat series. Over the years, he had written more books still, the only series that convinced him as a writer were the adventures of Nikki Heat. He was staring at the woman in front of him, there were so many things that he wanted to know. The writer in him demanded an interview to the person who gave him his wife; he knew that wasn't possible because his wife was the one who had the right to ask first. He waited patiently as she opened the first of the Nikki Heat novel, her face lit up when she read the dedicatory of the book.

KB were the letters that somehow made her the proudest mom ever, her Katie had been in this man's life longer than she thought. Because if she knew something about her daughter was how much she valued family, and to have that with her favorite author was unbelievable. She had guessed that she was married by now, never suspected it was to Richard Castle. As she read through the first lines of the book, she could sense all of the hard work he had put into it, this wasn't like a Derrick Storm novel, in fact, it was another thing entirely different because _he _had based his book on _her_ daughter.

He didn't say a word until he heard the door shut. He was about to say something when she asked him the question she had had on her head since she had stepped foot in his home.

"Do you love her?" she placed the book back in the shelf and turned to look at him.

"I do, I can't imagine my life without her or the kids for that matter. We met at a case and I knew from that moment she introduced herself, that I couldn't let her slip away. I knocked down the walls she had built around herself. And I was there when she arrested Senator Bracken for you murder. I waited four years until she decided to take a step forwards in our relationship, I was there when she stepped in a bomb, I didn't leave even if I wasn't supposed to be there. And of course I was there when she found out we were expecting Roy and Jo. I went with her to my book launching parties, at least the ones she agreed to go. She certainly made it clear that I was off the market by then. But most of all, she has made my life complete in so many ways that when I think about it, it makes me wonder what did I do to deserve her." He went to the door of the office and waited for her, she looked confused as she didn't know the man at all. She only knew his connection to her daughter.

"I'll give you a tour of the place" he then opened the door and waited until she was gone to close the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I'm sorry that it took me so long to post chapter 2 but I just finished my semester exams this week. So this chapter will continue the last one but instead of focusing on Johanna and Castle it'll focus on Alexis and Beckett. Again I'm sorry it took so long last time. **

**Disclaimer: I still haven't received an e-mail from Marlowe telling me that I own Castle so; I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING, except from Roy and Jo. **

Kate Castle was a woman of sense, she knew even in the weirdest cases what was real and what wasn't. She had put up with her husband for over thirteen years for crying out loud. But in her mind this situation didn't make at all. She closed the door, and checking that the kids had their bag prepared, she looked at Alexis who was waiting by the elevator and they went down.

Alexis was silent during the elevator ride, she didn't want to overwhelm her mother more by asking the question everyone is asking. Kate needed space to think but she also needed the support of her family. Because they were a family not a normal family but they were there when they needed it. That was family does, stay together through thick and thin. So, when they approached the car, Alexis asked Kate for the keys, she tried to complain but failed when Alexis reminded her that Jo and Roy were riding along. She gave her daughter her keys and sat in the passenger seat watching Alexis as she started the car.

"Mom, why is Lex driving? Why aren't you driving?" Roy asked his mother as he made sure his sister was safe in her car seat. There was a silent in which no one answered the question.

"Because I don't want to drive and Lex can drive and volunteered to take you guys to Grandpa's" Kate explained as she checked if the kids were sitting properly with their seatbelt on.

"But, you don't let daddy drive" Her six-year-old reasoned, sometimes the kid was too smart for his own good.

"And…?" Alexis jumped in, trying to reason with her brother.

"Why are _you_ driving, I want to drive too, and tell dad that mom let me drive the car before him" He told her sister which cause the two women to roll their eyes. There was no way this kid wasn't Richard Castle's son.

"Roy you can't drive" His sister informed her from the back seat; he turned his head to look to Jo.

"Why I can't drive?" He crossed his arms across his chest.

"Roy, why can't I drive, the verb goes first buddy" Alexis corrected him.

"Because you don't have a license" His mother looked back at him.

"And where can I get one of those?"

"You ask Santa for one, he can give you everything" Jo answered the question.

"I don't think Santa can give you a license" Alexis pointed out

"Yeees he can, daddy telled me" Jo defended herself.

"Of course he did" Kate muttered rolling her eyes as she watched the pedestrians on the street.

"You need to be older to drive" Alexis informed her siblings.

"Like Sarah Grace?" Jo asked her sister.

"You have to be 16" She said. The conversation dropped to an end.

Alexis was trying to park the car when Kate snapped out of her thoughts. She was on cloud nine at the moment. So she told her to stay in the car while she dropped the kids at Jim's. On the way up, she turned to the kids and in hushed tones started to talk with them.

"So, do you have the camera Roy?" He pulled out the camera from his backpack.

"We have to find the bottles that smell funny, like spies so Pa doesn't know anything" He explained the plan to Jo.

"That is, good job monster" She congratulated her brother.

They made their way up to the door, she knocked three times and Jim opened the door. He was wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans. Jo launched herself at her grandpa and Roy waited patiently to hug him, the kids ran inside so they could unpack and get ready for dinner. Meanwhile, Jim hugged Alexis and asked her if something was wrong.

"Don't worry Jim, we'll tell you in the morning when you bring them home, just enjoy the day" She assured him.

"If you guys don't mind, I'll take Jo and Roy to lunch to that place near the park and bring them home in the afternoon" He suggested.

Alexis accepted the offer knowing the time it was going to take to sort out everything at home. As she made her way to the car, she spotted a place to talk. And when she got to the car, instead of getting in, she knocked in Kate's window and told her to get out.

When they enter, the place was empty. They order two chocolate ice-creams and sat in a table. Kate checked her phone; she had a text from Rick saying that he had already called Jim.

"So, how are you holding up?" Alexis asked her digging her spoon in the chocolate.

"Not really good. I never thought that I would see her again. When she was murdered, after I accepted it I used to try to make deals with God in order to have her back. Then, as time went on I realized that no matter what I did, she was never coming back. And now I don't know what to think, the thing that most scare me is that I don't remember her. I mean I remember _her_, I don't remember what we used to talk about, what we used to cook or even how she liked her coffee. And seeing her at home made me realize how much I forgot about her. I used to know everything about her, I was the one who knew just by a look knew if she had a good or bad day, and now I don't know anything about her." She explained with tears on her face.

"But she is still your mom, she is still the person you remember" She assured her.

"Is she? And what if she isn't, what if she's changed so much that I don't know her?"

"Mom, you're thinking way too much about this. Even if she's changed, she will remember you. You can't give up on her just because you're afraid that she's changed" She reasoned taking a spoon-full of ice-cream.

"But she doesn't know me anymore, I'm no longer 19. I have a family of my own which she didn't know about, and above all I have moved on. I no longer miss her as much as I did before we arrested Bracken"

"Mom, do you remember the first time I called you mom?" She asked.

"Yes, you were having hot chocolate at 3 in the morning. I asked you what was wrong and you told me that you were so lost at class that you were considering dropping out of college" She smiled at the memory.

"Yeah, you remember what you told me?" She asked.

"I told you that you only fail when you give up, and you took my advice"

"So don't give up on her, she deserves a chance, just like dad gave you a second chance after you got shot and you lied to him. Now look at you, you are married and have three kids together. You should give her a chance, and if it doesn't work out, then we will sort it out as a family. But it's you decision to make" She said finishing her ice-cream.

"God, I don't get why you're so mature having a nine-year-old in a sugar rush as a father. I guess you're right, but I'll have to think about it and talk with your dad. You are ok if I decide to give her a chance right?" She asked.

"Mom, I'm ok with that. I really hope that this work out. Because after we all have been through I think we deserve it. Maybe dad was right, the universe likes you guys together" She said giggling as she saw her mother roll her eyes.

"Please don't start with that, with three kids I have enough I don't need to put up with another one. Ok, but I can't deal with her right now. I'm not ready, maybe tomorrow. Jo and Roy will be home in the morning right?"  
>"Right, about that, he's taking them to lunch, he said he owned them lunch or something. He will drop them in the afternoon" She got up of the booth and threw away her empty cup, waiting for Kate to drop hers.<p>

As they got in the car, they dialed Rick; he picked it up at the second tone.

"Hey, at what time will you get home?" He asked at the end of the line.

"Um… we'll be there in twenty minutes max, did you take out the cookies?" Alexis asked her father as she remembered they had left the cookies in the oven right before Johanna rang the bell.

"Yes, I took them out, they weren't burned. Kate you there?" He asked.

"Yeah, is she still there?" She asked hoping that her mother wasn't in the house.

"She's staying over in the guest room, she is in the room now so I assume that by the time you get there dinner will be ready."

"We went for ice-cream, but we'll make space for supper" Alexis told her father "Is Johanna having dinner with us?" She asked looking at her mother who wasn't in any state to talk with her mother.

"I guess, if that's ok with Kate"

"Yeah, we need to talk to her" And that was the end of the conversation.

They got home twenty minutes later; Rick welcomed them with a hug for Alexis who then made her way to the kitchen to entertain Johanna who was feeling like the elephant in the room.

They leaned in the counter, making small talk and watching the two adults in the doorway. Rick greeted her with a hug, kissing her forehead.

"You know, you don't need to talk to her, you can just sit and say nothing while we speak to her or you can just go to bed and I'll bring you dinner. Whatever you want Kate. I'm here for you" He said looking at her in the eyes.

"I love you, I don't know what would I do without you babe. Thank you" She said leaning in and giving him a peck in the lips. He wrapped her with his arms, and let her head fall on his shoulder. He leaned so that she could hear him.

"I love you too Kate, always" He let her go and slipped his fingers through hers.

They made her way towards the kitchen, hands intertwined. They were going to have one of the most difficult dinners they had have in a long time, but they were going to face it like they always did. As a family.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Castle. I only own Jo and Roy.**

They all sat in the table, Alexis in front of her father and Kate in front of her mother. There was an uncomfortable silence that no one dared to break. Alexis had her eyes fixed on her mother who was sitting next to her husband who also had his eyed on Johanna. Seeing that it wasn't anywhere, Alexis cleared her throat and the three adults started moving. It was Johanna who broke the silence.

"So, how long have you married?" She asked looking at Kate for an answer.

"We married seven years ago, although we had been dating a year before he proposed. And Roy came a year after our wedding." She explained looking at the wedding band on her finger.

"How did you two meet?"

"Some creepy guy was imitating my murders and Detective Beckett here, needed help with the case. During that first case together she fell in love with me and-

He was interrupted by his wife choking on water. She looked at his daughter and she rolled her eyes like Kate did every time he got on her nerves. He then looked at his wife who was rolling her eyes.

"That isn't how it happened Castle! I didn't fall in love with you at our first case." She was giving him the _look._

"Yes, and you know it! You were so madly in love with me that you couldn't get away from me"

"First of all, at that time you were a total jackass, you drove me insane with your childish behavior, _you_ were the one who convinced the mayor to give you permission to follow me around. And last of all, I didn't ask for your help I _arrested _you." She said trying to maintain a straight face while he was giving her the puppy eyes.

"Anyway, I started to follow her around which turned out to be very fun, and I got to know Kate, the real Kate. She inspired me to write again, and I based my new character on her."  
>"You missed out the part in which you gave my character a stripper name. And all of the times you used my work as a way of getting women to look at you."<p>

"That is so not true, I have never done that"

"Selena Kyle" Kate asked looking at Alexis grinning.

"Sophia Turner" Added Alexis.

"Kyra" Kate named.

"The one with the bikini collection" Alexis chimed in.

"Ok, you got me. But now I wouldn't do that I swear to you Johanna that I would never cheat on Kate" He said looking at his mother-in-law.

"Because if you did, I would shoot you" She said raising an eyebrow.

"And I know how to make a corpse unrecognizable" Alexis helped Kate.

"Anyone want water? Because I'm thirsty. Johanna?" He asked his mother-in-law-

Then, there was an uncomfortable silence again. Everyone in the room knew what question was going to be asked next.

"Why didn't you come back?" Kate asked her mother. Rick grabbed her hand on the table and squeezed it to let her know that he was there with her.

"I couldn't Katie. I spent two months after that night in a room where they treated my wounds; I didn't know where I was or even what had happened. And they didn't tell me a thing. After I recovered I went to see you but they didn't let me go." Johanna tried to explain.

"Really?" Kate said raising her voice. "And after those two months? You had a lot of time to at least try. But you didn't because _they_ didn't let you; you know that it is a lie to hide your fear of coming back, of changing things. But let me tell you mom; after your death, dad turned to the bottle I used to go to work to bring the money home, I was the adult in the house. I spent two years trying to sober dad up but I couldn't. I gave up my dreams and drop out of college to find the one responsible for your murder and you are here. Do you have any idea of what I've gone through?" Kate asked this time screaming and with tears in her face.

"Katie I didn't know that, I…" Johanna tried to talk to her but failed.

"No, you didn't know that because you were gone, you left us. And I completely fell apart; it took me _years_ to finally be fine about it, to have a chance at being happy and here you are once again breaking me apart. So no mom, you didn't know." She said, and then she stormed out of the room.

Johanna looked at Rick who went to see if Kate was ok, excusing himself and leaving Alexis and Johanna alone.

"I'm sorry for everything. I should go, I've caused enough problems for one night." She said standing up.

"You don't have to, she'll come around eventually. She does that sometimes; she runs from the problems which are too big for her. But she always faces them. I remember one time, she hid in her dad's cabin for the summer, and that broke dad's heart. So, stay put and wait for her to come to you, don't pressure her into forgiving you because she will shut you down." Alexis explained, grabbing the dishes and loading the dishwasher.

"Can I ask you a question?" Johanna asked.

"Yes, of course." Alexis nodded with her head.

"She isn't your biological mother, is she?"

"No, my biological mother was dad's first wife, but she is more of a crazy aunt than a mother. She lives in California living her life, she calls on my birthday and we talk every two weeks but she is not here as Kate is. When Dad met Mom, I was a teenager and as the time went by and I started to see her around more, I started to ask her about advice and she was there. So when they married, she knew that she was in the family and we all knew that she was more of a mom to me than Meredith was. Don't get me wrong I love Meredith, she is my mother but she isn't my mom. My mom is Kate and so I began calling her mom because it would be easier and the babies wouldn't be confused. Eventually she adopted me, as much as you can adopt a grown-up woman but she did." Alexis explained to Johanna, as she made her way to the stairs she waited for the other woman to follow her.

They stopped at the second room; Alexis opened the door to reveal a spare room Johanna could use. She told her where the bathroom was and which clothes she could use. So as Johanna entered the room she closed the door to give her some privacy and went to the kitchen again. She made her way to the master bedroom with ice-cream and three spoons. She didn't knock, just entered and sat on the bed where the other two adults were. She offered a spoon to each of them and they began eating ice-cream for the second time in that day.

"So, here's what I have planned for tomorrow: I will go to the precinct with Johanna, so we'll explain to the Captain why you're not going to work tomorrow, you will stay at home with dad so when Jim comes you can explain everything to him. Then; Johanna and I will come home and Dad, Jo, Roy and I will leave so you three can sort everything out." She explained as she looked from her mother to her father.

"Where did you become so smart Pumpkin?" His father offered a smile to his daughter and collecting all of the spoons from the ice-cream he got up and went to the kitchen.

"Thank you, I don't know what we would do without you Alexis" Kate said with tears still in her eyes.

Alexis enveloped her mother in a hug and said soothing words to her. They were so focused on each other that they didn't even acknowledge Rick leaning on the doorway with a smile on his face. They were a family after all, even if they weren't related by blood. In that instant, he thanked the killer who got everything started, because even as creepy as it was, he couldn't have met his wife if this killer hadn't kill anyone.


End file.
